★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

Be careful what you wish for...

It's been awhile since I read a Valerie Keogh thriller (because some could be hit or miss) but I needn't have worried. This one is a definite hit! I don't know what I was expecting going in except maybe a slow start (which is usually Keogh's way) and yes, it was a slow burn to start but boy did it pick up pace into a fast-moving narrative! And while it did venture into crazy land a tad towards the end, it was still believeable, readable and thrillingly enjoyable! Even if none of the characters were all that likeable. Really, they weren't.

Sarah is a thirty eight year old GP married to Nick. Unhappily married, I might add. And with the distance Nick has been keeping lately, Sarah is sure Nick feels the same way. They met and married after a whirlwind romance, her on the rebound of a three year relationship to who she felt had been the love of her life. But six months later, she and Nick are married and are a happy...for a while. Now she dreads returning to the flat they chose together each night, stopping at a pub on the way and numbing her senses with a double vodka before going home.

But when Nick suggests they have a baby, instead of saying how she really feels, Sarah stupidly agrees hoping she won't fall pregnant. After all, her biological clock is ticking. But she does. And she has a rough time of it. But at the end of it all, baby Kaya is born and she is perfect. Nick is sputtering platitudes of how beautiful and perfect she is while Sarah struggles to find any emotion for this screaming bundle she just ejected from her body.

Naturally, as the reader would expect, things do not improve - neither for Nick and Sarah or for Kaya and Sarah. She does not love her husband and she cannot feel any love for her baby daughter either. Can things possibly get any worse for her? She wanted out before a baby was added to the mix; and nothing has changed. If anything, she wants out more than anything. She wished she wasn't married to Nick and she wished she never had a baby. She wished both of them would disappear...and she could continue her life and maybe fulfil her dream of becoming a country GP.

So when baby Kaya is kidnapped (rather stupidly, by all accounts), Nick is understandable distraught since he's the one who has doted on her from the beginning; he's the one who wanted her. But Sarah is detached. It's hard to find any emotion on the woman who has just had her three week baby daughter kidnapped from under their noses and yet there is none. None that the police could see, at any rate. Which naturally raises their suspicions. But Sarah was trapped in a marriage she felt stifled in to a man she didn't love and it was clear she was suffering post natal depression. Wasn't it?

The author cleverly weaves a tangled web of lies and deception, manipulating not only her characters but also her readers' opinions of the main characters. One could be forgiven for feeling at first sympathy for Sarah before becoming frustrated with her and then suspicious of her motives and behaviour. As frustrating as Sarah was, I could relate to her not wanting a child despite her husband thrusting the choice upon her. And then when she loses that child her emotions are even more confused. Did she want her baby to just disappear? Or is it a case of "don't know what you have until it's gone?" and she is inwardly distraught at what's happened but feels she doesn't deserve the right to grieve because she never wanted her in the first place? Emotions are complex and are running high in this incredibly emotive and deceptive tale.

The narrative included one of Sarah's confused state, the police investigation into the abduction and the perspective of an unknown character peppered in between. Together, it weaves a deceptive tale that is both complex and clever. Keogh cleverly manipulates her readers to the point we are second guessing every move and every twist right up to the shocking end.

Admittedly, I had begun to piece it all together with Zoe-Lee and Sarah completing the picture before the next big reveal - no, Keogh wasn't finished with us yet!

Very clever, very addictive and very twisted. A must for psychological thriller fans!

I would like to thank #ValerieKeogh, #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheMother in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Sarah Westfield wasn’t sure she even wanted to be a wife, let alone a mother. Her husband Nick is for all intents and purposes a great guy, but she thinks her marriage is a mistake and wants to put it behind her. But Nick wants a baby. Sarah is not sure, but then decides maybe a baby would make her marriage all it could be. So she agrees….and is pregnant before she knows it.

Their little family changes forever when their baby disappears on a family outing.

Valerie Keogh is a master at creating characters with depth and plots with great twists. The Mother is no exception. This is a book that, for me, had me waiting to pick it up again when I had to put it down. I look forward to every offering from this author.

Wow!excellent book, easy read and managed to get through it in 2 days, totally different to anything I've read before. Who would ever think a baby can save a failing relationship?

The Mother by Valerie Keogh hooked me from the very start. Sarah Westfield's internal struggle with her seemingly perfect but deeply unfulfilling marriage felt so real, I couldn’t help but feel for her as she navigated her tangled emotions. When Nick, her "perfect" husband, proposes having a baby as the last chance to save their marriage, it sets off a chain of events that left me questioning what would happen next.

Sarah’s conflict over agreeing to the pregnancy and what it might mean for her future had me second-guessing her decisions, wondering if she was truly trapped or if she could find a way out. The arrival of their baby only deepened the tension—Sarah’s struggles with motherhood and her growing resentment towards Nick made for an emotionally charged read. As she tried to reconcile her love for her daughter with her dissatisfaction in every other part of her life, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how it would all play out.

The psychological suspense in The Mother is intense. Valerie Keogh masterfully explores themes of love, regret, and personal entrapment. Every page made me question whether Sarah would be able to break free or if her decisions would lead her down an even darker path. The twists kept coming, and just when I thought I had a handle on things, the book took another unexpected turn.

If you’re a fan of thrillers that dive deep into the complexities of relationships, motherhood, and the darkness that can lurk beneath a perfect exterior, The Mother is an unputdownable read. It’s one of those books that sticks with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

This was a brilliant read with plenty of suspense throughout to keep you hooked. The story was so enjoyable, the twists and turns were full of surprises and the ending was great. The characters were interesting and the style of writing was perfect.
I have read other books by this author and i loved them all. I would recommend this book and its author to anyone that enjoys to read psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

This carefully written thriller centers on Sarah who after a whirlwind romance is trapped in a marriage with a good man who she doesn't love and some how she has agreed to having a baby who she has really bonded with . Her best friend Jade is always in the background ready to help her. A few days away and the baby is taken by strangers. Queue a mystery as to where is the baby and who is responsible. Nothing is as its seems each character has a motive and loaded with secrets. I was totally thrown as i went from character to character thinking they were responsible. The action and reveal was well paced and far out there not sure the ending was realistic but was a nice way to tie it all together. The police being women gave this an underlying attempt to discuss the implications and the internal struggle of all working mothers. This deal with obsession, alongside child abduction, abuse, and depression in an everyday understandable way. I hated sarah for a lot of the book then felt sorry for her as i realised the writing was true to life and she was a very complicated character. Her husband however felt unused in the story and i wanted to see more of him.It was a good entertaining read full of twists and turns perfect for thriller lovers. Thanks to netgallery, publisher and author.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat! Lots of twists that I didn’t see coming and kept me hooked all the way through.

The story’s twists were unpredictable, and the pacing was spot on. I was completely immersed in the suspenseful, dark world the author created.

Sarah is unhappily married to Nick. Nick suggests they have a baby to help their marriage. Baby, Kaya doesn't help improve the marriage, Sarah is more resentful of Nick. Kaya disappears. On the edge of your seat thriller!

This. Was. So. Good! A feeling relationship, what could make it better? A baby! Said no one ever… Except our main character dead it didn’t make things better especially when the baby goes missing. This was so good and so thrilling, different from any other thriller I’ve recently read!

Being stuck in an unhappy marriage to Nick instead of leaving Sarah agrees to have a baby ?!? What was she thinking? Clearly not thinking at all as she soon becomes pregnant fairly quickly, which seemed to surprise her - but being a GP she should know how long it could potentially take right? I didn't take to Sarah much, she tied herself then tried put all the blame on her husband, she never once voiced her wants and needs and then when baby Kayla is stolen after she willing handed the baby to a total stranger so she could eat her dinner I just about lost it! No woman in their right mind would have done that.. right? I am surely not the only one who would have eaten a cold dinner.

Despite my feelings for Sarah, I was invested after kidnapping and that twist I definitely did not seeing coming what so ever! I was unexpected and totally out of left field.

4 stars

I love reading books by Valerie, they keep me engaged and interested and The Mother is no different. A 5 star read. Recommended.

Slow burn … Sarah in an unhappy marriage and makes the odd decision to have a baby in an attempt to save it. Unfortunately, Shocker she doesn't bond with the baby, and feels even more trapped in her unhappy life. When the baby is taken, the tensions continue to rise and the twists just keep coming. Something a little sinister pops up from time to time, adding to the suspense.

𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

THIS was the book I needed to get me out of a terrible slump. Sarah Westfield is unhappily married to Nick. The problem is that Nick is perfect--he treats her well, he's caring and loving, but Sarah simply doesn't love him and realizes too late that she rebounded far too quickly and ended up settling. When he initiates a talk one day, she's sure he feels the same way and feels relief over their impending split. But she's in for the shock of her life when he says he wants to try for a baby. Shocked and confused, Sarah finds herself dumbly agreeing.

When their daughter is born, Sarah feels nothing for her. She didn't think it was possible to feel more trapped and resentful, but she does. When the couple stops at a neighborhood pub to eat, Sarah is grateful for the kind stranger who offers to walk with the baby to soothe her, who has started wailing as soon as the food arrived. But the woman doesn't return, and when Sarah becomes the subject of a police investigation, her world slowly starts to crumble around her; after all, what kind of woman wouldn't want to be a mother?

The subject matter in this book and how it was presented were both intense. I've learned with age to be careful who I vent to because sometimes, our true, authentic selves, are horribly ugly. It's as though even verbalizing some of the things I feel, even with the closest of friends, gives these awful thoughts merit. I loved how a main theme in the book is perception, and how our judgment of people is often clouded by the lens we're viewing them through. Our own guilt, shortcomings, and imperfections often cloud how we see people.

I was super surprised by how the events of the plot unfolded, and I'll definitely be reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this copy. This title published June 27, 2024.

This book was a popcorn thriller. Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, and Kiersten Modglin. I thought the story was fine and blew through it.

I struggled to warm to the main character, Sarah. She's in an unhappy marriage and makes the odd decision to have a baby in an attempt to save the marriage. Shocker then when she doesn't bond with the baby and feels even more trapped. When the baby is taken, the tensions continue to rise and the twists just keep coming. This is a real page-turner!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Valerie Keogh’s latest novel!

Sarah is unhappily married to Nick. Nick is everything her ex wasn’t, in the best ways possible. But for Sarah all the love and attention is too smouldering for her. Their marriage is on the rocks. When Nick tells Sarah they have to talk she thinks this is her wish come true, Nick will want a divorce. Wrong, Nick wants to try for a baby. Reluctantly Sarah agrees. When baby Kaya is born, Sarah struggles with motherhood and her resentment for Nick continues to grow. But then Kaya goes missing and everything Sarah has ever believed in comes crashing down.


I thought for sure ok I know what’s happening, but just when you think you know, you don’t. Plot twist! Unfortunately I didn’t love this one. Great premise but it wasn’t my favourite read. It is a slow burn that does keep you guessing.

A lot of people did enjoy this book so I do recommend picking it up and trying for yourself.


Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley. The Mother is available now.

This book is all about motherhood and marriage. It can be over the top, but I love this author writing and will continue to read everything she writes.

Another intense twisted story by Valerie Keogh. It gets you hooked from start to finish. It becomes a guessing game and an intense hunt to find baby Kaya. Just when you think you figured it out you realize how wrong you are. I really enjoyed the book and I promise this is an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of The Mother.

In The Mother, there are twists and turns, red herrings, and unreliable narrators aplenty. Valerie Keogh knows how to manipulate every single one of these so that her readers are left anxiously anticipating what unexpected surprises each page will bring next.

Sarah Westfield marries Nick on the rebound. While she did initially think he was the right man for her, she quickly realises that she’s made a big mistake. He’s lovely and attentive and he clearly adores her (maybe a bit too much?), but surely he knows that this is never going to work?

But he shocks her when he suggests that they should have a baby! And she shocks herself when she agrees – because after all, she’s not getting any younger. And maybe if they have a baby she’ll feel a bit more settled and things will all turn out to be ok. Well, let’s be serious … does that ever happen?

When baby Kaya arrives, Sarah struggles to bond with her, but Nick is immediately besotted. Sarah doesn’t understand what’s wrong with her. Yes, ok, she knows she wasn’t overly keen on becoming a mother, but she did think that once the baby was here, her motherly instincts would kick in! She suggests a family holiday to a place where she spent many holidays with her own family as a child, hoping that by recreating her own childhood memories with her new family, she can repair something that seems to be broken. But disaster strikes when baby Kaya is stolen from them … and it seems to be her fault!

Sarah has undeniably made numerous mistakes in her life. She often didn’t seem to function as a mature adult, and I needed to keep reminding myself that she was actually a GP – someone who others placed their trust in, who managed to work as a well-respected professional. As the story unfolded, I really warmed to her though – admittedly, earlier on, I wasn’t very fond of her. Nick on the other hand, I found utterly cringeworthy! I think that’s because I’m just not one of those people who likes being pawed all the time, as he does to Sarah. I felt claustrophobic and short of breath just reading about him! He’s just always in her space, and I completely understood her constant, desperate need to silently scream!! I would have wanted to scream out loud … often!

I think my favourite character was Zoe-Lee {never just ‘Zoe’), the policewoman who was assigned to the case in Devon where Sarah and Nick are on holiday, and who is then sent to London when they return home, so that she can hand the case over to her counterpart in the London office. She finds herself torn in her feelings towards Sarah, who she immediately takes a dislike to, judging her actions and comparing them to her own when it comes to her own baby. But she’s then led to question her behaviour and attitude when she weighs up how she feels about her work life compared to her home life. Keogh crafts a character going through a very real, topical issue that so many working mothers have to deal with: the struggles and the judgement, especially from other working mothers!

The pace increases with each chapter, and every few chapters there’s an anonymous voice that adds a really sinister element into the plot as things get darker and more disturbing. It all makes for an edgy, page-turning read, which I highly recommend!